Richard Madeley Shares His Take On Phillip Schofield’s This Morning Exit

Original This Morning host Richard Madeley has said he feels “very sorry” for Phillip Schofield following the former presenter’s exit from the daytime show.

Back in May, Phillip left This Morning after 21 years, amid reports of a fallout with co-host Holly Willoughby, before going on to quit ITV altogether after admitting to having lied about an affair with a younger colleague.

Richard, who is now a regular on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, described Phillip’s departure as “savage” in a new interview with The Sun, revealing he reached out to him amid the scandal.

“I feel very sorry for Phillip – it seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years,” he said.

“It seemed quite brutal to be honest. I took a paternal interest in it – I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right. He agreed. All things pass in the end.”

Richard added: “We’ve all been through terrible experiences and the worst ones are the phones that come out of a clear blue sky and you don’t see them coming.

“Politicians say they’re only one debate away from a catastrophe and it’s the same in our industry.”

Richard also ruled himself out or returning to This Morning’s famous sofa, having previously hosted alongside wife Judy Finnigan from the show’s inception in 1988 until 2001, saying he “enjoyed it” but “wouldn’t go back”.

Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley
Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley

Karwai Tang via Getty Images

Following Phillip’s exit from This Morning, the programme also faced accusations of bullying and being a “toxic” workplace – something which bosses were swift to deny.

ITV has so far not found a permanent replacement for Phillip, with Holly continuing to front the show with a rotation of other members of the on-air This Morning team, including Josie Gibson, Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary and Craig Doyle.

However, recent reports have suggested that Good Morning Britain regular Ben Shephard is looking like a contender to land the full-time role, after apparently impressing bosses with a guest stint on the show last month.

This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.

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Insulate Britain Protester Storms Off Good Morning Britain During Heated Interview With Richard Madeley And Susanna Reid

An Insulate Britain protester took a leaf out of Piers Morgan’s book on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain when he stormed off the live show during a heated exchange with hosts Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid.

Campaigner Liam Norton was on the ITV morning show to talk about the protests that have seen activists shut down the M25 five times in just over a week.

Wednesday’s interview got off to a shaky start when Susanna asked Liam to stop patronising her.

“You’re an intelligent journalist,’ Liam said. “And you haven’t understood what I said last week about what we do in the next three to four years will determine the future of humanity.

Susanna retorted: “Liam, try not to be so patronising when you’re talking to me.”

Things then went from bad to worse when Richard stepped in to say that blocking the motorways puts the lives of others at risk.

“You’re not accepting the responsibility of your actions,” Richard told him.

“Well, if you say something stupid, I’ll cut you off,” Richard added. “The way you’re putting your argument is fatal, it has fatal consequences.”

Getting increasingly irate, Liam then launched into rant, stating: “We’ve been writing letters for 30 years. We’ve been writing petitions for 30 years. This is our line in the sand. We are demanding the government makes a meaningful statement to save the future of this country and if they refuse to do it then they can put us in prison.”

Liam then stood up and yelled: “I’ve had enough of talking to people in this country about what we’re doing. This is the state of things.” 

The Government is today seeking an injunction against the environmental group after police warned that their tactics on the M25 are likely to cause “serious injury or death”.

It comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps vowed to ensure ‘guerrilla’ activists “cannot keep disrupting and endangering people’s lives”.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.

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The Circle: 11 Moments That Prove Why It Should Be Your Next Reality TV Obsession

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